2014 Forester v 2014 Rav4

JJJJNR

So Mrs jjjjnr is in the market for a new car, im helping with the optiins on either one or the other of the above..

The 2014 Rav4 is the invincible version so fully loaded it's 12k, the forester is the entry level but is 11,250 but has loads of standard kit but is missing the leather interior.

I'm leaning to the forester but she likes the Rav4 it is stunning in that guise but think we will get done on VRT as it's a high spec model. So down to reliability the early diesel Subaru had issues with crankshafts and injectors has this been rectified in the revised engine ? This is 5th gen so I presume now should have any issues ironed out.

JohnBoy26

Get the rav. It's a better yoke than the forester and will be easier to sell on if you plan on changing in the future.

colm_mcm

Invincible is a trim level, so there shouldn’t be any options on it outside of that except nav. It’s in the VRT calculator too, so shouldn’t be any surprises

aaakev

The Forester is a serious machine, had a 2012 one for a while and was seriously impressed. Great power delivery and handled like an impreza. In the bad weather and the recent snow it was unstoppable. Mine was ok spec wise, nothing like toyota invincible spec but had everything i needed, ac, Bluetooth, cruise, heated seats etc.

I had a rav 4 a few years ago and yeah it was a decent car but the Subaru would do it for me every time. Maybeif it was fornthe missus and i wasnt goingto be driving it much id consider the rav but if i was going to drive it too id definitely go Subaru.

Is the rav 4wd?

high horse

Personally I'd have the Forrester over the rav4.

However, if the car is for her and she prefers the rav4 but you buy the Forrester... it will be your fault if she doesn't like it

JohnBoy26

The diesel in the subaru is made of chocolate and is ultra expensive to put right when things go wrong.

ba_barabus

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

The diesel in the subaru is made of chocolate and is ultra expensive to put right when things go wrong.

Wasn't that fixed by 2010?

JohnBoy26

ba_barabus wrote: »

Wasn't that fixed by 2010?

Newer ones supposedly still suffer from same issue. Tbh I wouldn't like to take the chance on one.

H.E. Pennypacker

Does the Rav4 have the Toyota 2.2 diesel engine? You might want to do a bit of research around that particular engine's issues.

ba_barabus

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Newer ones supposedly still suffer from same issue. Tbh I wouldn't like to take the chance on one.

Well thats a pity.

I'd probably go Rav4 anyway as the Forester is a very dated inside

bazz26

I think a 2014 Rav4 would have the 2.0 litre BMW diesel engine.

colm_mcm

Think the new engine came in in September 2015. The older engine is 122bhp and 1998cc and the BMW engine is 140bhp and 1995cc.

ba_barabus

colm_mcm wrote: »

Think the new engine came in in September 2015. The older engine is 122bhp and 1998cc and the BMW engine is 140bhp and 1995cc.

The Toyota engine is slow but good

aaakev

ba_barabus wrote: »

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Newer ones supposedly still suffer from same issue. Tbh I wouldn't like to take the chance on one.

Well thats a pity.

I'd probably go Rav4 anyway as the Forester is a very dated inside

You buy the Subaru for how it drives, not whats inside...

The engines were updated in 2010 amd the newer ones dont suffer with the issues the pre 2010 ones did. Mine had done a hard 200k and still ran like a clock. The thing with these Subarus is servicing needs to be on point, every 15k

ba_barabus

aaakev wrote: »

You buy the Subaru for how it drives, not whats inside...

The engines were updated in 2010 amd the newer ones dont suffer with the issues the pre 2010 ones did. Mine had done a hard 200k and still ran like a clock. The thing with these Subarus is servicing needs to be on point, every 15k

True that. I was in an Outback the same day and loved it. Felt very substantial. A few farmers around are running Foresters so they can't be bad

JohnBoy26

aaakev wrote: »

You buy the Subaru for how it drives, not whats inside...

The engines were updated in 2010 amd the newer ones dont suffer with the issues the pre 2010 ones did. Mine had done a hard 200k and still ran like a clock. The thing with these Subarus is servicing needs to be on point, every 15k

Examples with fsh's have had the same engine trouble too. Mileage doesn't seem to matter. Some go very early and others could do 150-200k miles without any issue only for them to go bang someday. It also happens all of sudden with no prior warning.

Also not convinced that the newer ones don't suffer from the same issue. It might be less common but it can still happen.

JohnBoy26

ba_barabus wrote: »

Well thats a pity.

I'd probably go Rav4 anyway as the Forester is a very dated inside

Subaru interiors for the most part have never been great. Not that the rav's interior is anything to wrote home about but it is nicer than the one in the forester.

aaakev

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

aaakev wrote: »

You buy the Subaru for how it drives, not whats inside...

The engines were updated in 2010 amd the newer ones dont suffer with the issues the pre 2010 ones did. Mine had done a hard 200k and still ran like a clock. The thing with these Subarus is servicing needs to be on point, every 15k

Examples with fsh's have had the same engine trouble too. Mileage doesn't seem to matter. Some go very early and others could do 150-200k miles without any issue only for them to go bang someday. It also happens all of sudden with no prior warning.

Also not convinced that the newer ones don't suffer from the same issue. It might be less common but it can still happen.

I know all about the troubles they had, did a **** ton of research before i handed over money for one and i cant say i came across much issues reported with the post 2010s and lots of that info was from far bigger Subaru markets than ireland.

JJJJNR

So there were no newish foresters around so we tested a 2010 one and have to say I'm very impressed. It was a 09 build so won't be buying it the sales man said that he had to put a crankshaft sensor into it...with a new engine id say..

Anyway while mulling over things we noticed a nice Passat 2011 4motion for sale and took it out. Seems like a nice compromise between an out and out crossover and id say the Passat would be more fuel efficient than either the Subaru or rav4. It's very well put together. What issues did the 2011 Passat have (dodgy handbrake, injectors etc) this is currently a runner with a nice holiday away as the pay off.

JJJJNR

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-passat-2-0tdi-4-x4-estate-2011/17200643

Cee-Jay-Cee

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

The diesel in the subaru is made of chocolate and is ultra expensive to put right when things go wrong.

Says someone who once read a thread on the internet but in reality doesn't know what they're talking about.

ba_barabus

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Says someone who once read a thread on the internet but in reality doesn't know what they're talking about.

Chuckle

aaakev

JJJJNR wrote: »

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-passat-2-0tdi-4-x4-estate-2011/17200643

Looks good and a highline too which is the only way to go as they are horribly bland in lesser spec. Mileage is the only concern bit if its got a decent history it wouldnt scare me. If this is for safer bad weather driving it will be ideal

NoBread

A 2011 era Passat with 160k miles on it would concern me far more than a Subaru diesel to be honest. The newer Passat is a lot better built, so is the Mk7 Golf vs the Mk6, etc. The original Subaru diesel was known for a few of them going suddenly, they're all the Euro 4 ones, 5-speed gearbox and the older design DPF, bit more smokey under full load. Not all will go bang though. The Euro 5 ones have a strengthened crank, 6-speed box, newer closed-type DPF and are much more dependable. Change the oil on the button or slightly before the 15k interval and change the gearbox and diff oils every 60k kms, and after that maybe a few anti-roll bar bushes and not much else goes wrong. The longer the drives you bring it on the better, keep her lit, none of this short-shifting to save a few mpg (good advice for all modern diesels) and it'll be sound. They're a league ahead of anything in or around the class from a drivability point of view, the 4WD system is the best by far in the class.
The Rav 4 is decent enough too, as folks said above, if it's for the missus only then maybe get the one she prefers, cause you'll suffer the wrong choice more than she will!

Wildcard7

I'm a subaru fan but i wouldn't get one in ireland, purely because there's no dealer network here. I had a 2010 inpreza tdrs and it took then 9 months to fix the a/c. The rav4 is a grand yoke.

biko

I had a Forester myself and loved it.
Look at things like what engine to get, mpg etc

Check youtube videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD1i1mLuNuE